Lewis was one of 200 participants that gathered with the program sponsors including Mers Goodwill, the Incarnate Word Foundation and the City of St. Louis.

“We were able to employ 200 youth this summer,” said Michael Fitzgerald with the Incarnate Word Foundation, “At well over 65 job sites in the St. Louis community.”

The program picked two neighborhood clusters in St. Louis, four in north St. Louis plus Gravois Park, Dutchtown and Tower Grove East with each area hand-picked for their high youth crime and unemployment rates.

“Kids need opportunities to work for a lot of reasons,” Fitzgerald said, “Self esteem, keep them out of trouble, build their resume.”

Bob Puricelli with Gene Slay’s Boy’s Club said the program is successful.

“They are motivated. They are working,” Puricelli said, “They’re not perfect. None of us are perfect. It’s working.”

To celebrate their success, the teens received Sweetie Pie’s restaurant and a raffle for an iPad, gift cards and Cardinals tickets.